– In this episode, we continue to discuss the 1984 tank explosion that resulted in the LODD of Phoenix Fire Department Engineer-HazMat Technician Ricky Pearce. We also analyze today’s newest unknown hazard: lithium ion batteries and their storage facilities. READ
– The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the First Responder Center for Excellence (FRCE), once again, collaborated with Firehouse® and published the 2020 Fire Service Health & Safety Report. The 32 page report, which appears in September’s issue of Firehouse®, includes 13 articles written by respected leaders, authors and experts, covering a diversity of topics, including women in the fire service, the power of podcasts in promoting safety and health and changing the very culture of safety among the nation’s fire departments. READ
– Our latest online training course, Peer Support Programs for the Fire Service, discusses the important role that a peer support program can play in keeping firefighters and their departments healthy. READ
– On September 19, 2018, the Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to a fire in a commercial structure. Within minutes of arrival, the department experienced a significant near miss event involving serious injury to one of its newest members. Rather than take the incident in stride as “part of the job,” LAFD Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas reviewed the incident and within ten days ordered a top to bottom cultural shift in the department’s response to structural fires. The cultural shift preserved the LAFD tradition of aggressive fire attack, while injecting new practices designed to improve firefighter safety and avoid a repeat event that could lead to an irreversible tragedy. This article tells the tale of how one fire chief and a major metropolitan department recognized a threat and responded by taking bold corrective action before the threat became a tragedy. The story is a model of courageous leadership. READ
– The University of Miami Health System and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine are looking for 200 firefighters to complete a brief anonymous survey to share their thoughts on the COVID‐19 vaccine. The FACTS survey is completed online. READ
– UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) released a video ahead of National Fire Prevention Month demonstrating the remarkable speed at which fires spread and engulf rooms in toxic levels of smoke – three minutes or less. In partnership with UL FSRI, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is encouraging everyone to take three life-saving steps to protect themselves and their families. READ
– UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) today released a report detailing a deflagration incident at a 2.16 MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system (ESS) facility in Surprise, Arizona. The report provides a detailed technical account of the explosion and fire service response, along with recommendations on how to improve codes, standards, and emergency response training to better protect first responders, maintenance personnel and nearby communities. READ
– The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, in cooperation with Stonehouse Media, is pleased to present When an LODD Occurs: Incident Commanders Speak, our latest resource for preparing incident commanders (IC) to cope with a firefighter line-of-duty (LODD).
» Get Started: When an LODD Occurs: Incident Commanders Speak READ
– The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, in partnership with First Arriving, is looking for stories on how fire and life safety codes have impacted your community, department and personnel. This could be lives saved because a new code went into effect, new code efforts (successful, in progress or failed) that are being driven by the result of a tragedy or close calls, personal stories and more. These stories may be included as part of an exciting new series which will inform the public in a creative and engaging way about the critical role fire and life safety codes play in everyday life — at home, at work, at play, in transit, at school and beyond. READ
– The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is looking at how COVID-19 restrictions have impacted Fall 2020 plans for high school fire and EMS cadet programs. READ
